


Blessed Morns

by pcddrabbles



Category: Black Panther - Fandom, MCU, Marvel
Genre: Black Panther - Freeform, Erik Killmonger - Freeform, F/M, Fatherhood, Fluff and Angst, Marvel - Freeform, Romance, Shuri - Freeform, Smut, T'challa - Freeform, mcu - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-03-07 01:18:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18862813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pcddrabbles/pseuds/pcddrabbles
Summary: Ravyn and Erik move through life loving each other and their daughter, Ekua.





	Blessed Morns

Ravyn did not like rising with a start. It was never her preference. Lounging in bed until the last possible moment or being aroused by the sunlight that filtered through the bedroom windows was how she favored the beginning of her days. Alas, since the arrival of she and Erik's daughter three years prior, her desire was only a luxury, given when she did not wake up early to assist the child. She was surprised that she did not find little fingers trying to pry her eyelids open or small kisses on her cheek coaxing her out of her slumber. The little, "Mommy, mommy!"s that assembled with the poking and prodding were absent, too. 

Rayvn did not need to open her eyes to tell it was morning. Through her eyelids, she could sense the blanched sunlight of the bedroom. She was certain the golden orb in the sky had risen high enough to cast glimmers against the metal and wooden artifacts of the room; the decorations having been acquired on Erik's many international travels. She was the slightest disappointed, however, when she reached a hand across the expanse of the mattress and found it empty. Erik had already risen, his side of the bed only a mass of cool sheets. She liked it when he slept in, his arm thrown across her waist or his cheek against her chest.

There were other ways she liked to be awakened, and did not mind when it was too early for her liking. Erik, always having preferred to be up before the sun was, tried to get Ravyn to participate in her day like that as well. "You must be out your mind," she had scoffed laughingly when he thought waking up at five in the morning would be no big deal for her. He had his own ways of making her reconsider. Her favorite tactic of his was his tongue. 

It would all begin slowly while she was still sunken in peaceful dormancy. Either through vivid dreams or trance-like darkness, she would feel the coarseness of palms against her thighs, massaging at her skin leisurely. Then, she would feel the soft pressure between her legs, the tantalization of her folds conjoling her from her sleep. Though they both kept the most intense moments of intimacy for when they were both wide awake, Erik's tongue's voyage against her clit still had a way of making her want to take him for hours on end. 

What completely awakened her would be her own moan. His thick lips and tongue delving into her core often had her breath hitching before she could even comprehend what was going on. He knew he had her. To her dismay and his amusement, he would leave her center wet and aching before travelling upward. He would reach beneath her satin gown or T-shirt she wore to massage her breasts, pinching her nipples between his fingers before latching his lips around them. Ravyn was so glad that he had convinced her to no longer where pants in bed. Having always found comfort in being fully-clothed when sleeping, she was not sold by the idea at first, but when she finally relented one night, wearing one of his old MIT sweatshirts to sleep in, her eyes had shot open at four a.m. by the feel of his fingers inside of her. She breathed and bit into her pillow, fighting off her release so he would not be satisfied by the idea that he had been right. Nevertheless, he did not need to hear her breathy scream to be convinced that pajama pants were a thing of the past. 

She loved the way his mouth felt around her nipples, his quiet groans proving he wanted more than just to taste her, but still finding pleasure in making her body feel good. He would finally come face-to-face with her, taking a second to find her opened eyes in the light blueness of dawn, before kissing her deeply, her essence the first thing on her tongue that morning. 

Rayvn liked the way he kissed, too - assuredly. He liked to take her bottom lip between his, sucking it lightly before plunging his tongue in her mouth. She would kiss him back with the same ardency, cupping the back of his head or clutching is dreadlocks to bring him closer. Before they had their daughter and had the privilege of an empty, all-adult home, he would ask her, "What'chu want, baby?" while he ground against her. 

"Uhn!" she would yelp, the thickness of his groin teasing the hell out of her. "You, baby."

His lips would go to her neck, pressing kisses there, sometimes even a scrape of his teeth. "You want me to fuck you?"

"Yes."

"I can't hear you."

"Yes!"

And he would, right until the haziness or early morning brightened to an hour before their workday. She would rush into her job, fifteen minutes late, with the slightest trace of a hickey on her neck. 

Alas, neither of those circumstances, their impatient daughter nor his adventurous tongue had been the cause of her awakening. She sat up in bed at the smell of bacon and the laughter that ensued. She smiled, appreciating that Erik had allowed her to rest after a hectic week at her computer engineering office. For five days straight, she had come home, eaten the dinner that Erik prepared, played with their daughter for an hour, and promptly fell asleep after a half-hearted nighttime cleansing routine. She went to the bathroom to freshen up and pulled on a pair of one of Erik's sweatpants from the bureau drawer. 

"Your clothes are more comfortable!" she insisted when he would always call her out for wearing his things. He would eye her smugly before giving in with a smirk.

"Turn around. Yeah, you lucky your ass looks good in 'em." 

Barefoot, the wood and marble of their floors cool against her feet, Ravyn climbed down the short flight of stairs of their lift. She could hear her daughter's giggles before she saw the small dimpled smile she loved so much. She stepped around the corner, then leaned against the arched threshold separating the hallway from the kitchen. Her arms crossed, she looked on at her small family, grinning. 

Ekua Achebe Stevens, their three-year-old, was held in one of Erik's strong arms as he maneuvered skillfully about the kitchen, cracking eggs open and whisking them in a bowl with only one hand. They affectionately referred to the girl as Flower. Ever since she could walk outside, the child would make her parents stop as she carefully squatted down to pick up any kind of flower she saw. From dandelions to their building's rosebush buds, she would pick them from their earthly homes gently and carry as many as she could in her pudgy hands. At first, Rayvn and Erik had to deal with her wanting to eat them, to eat them, their softness and colorfulness seemingly appetizing, but as the girl grew and appreciated them for their beauty and how nice they looked in her hair, she stopped. 

"Can I do it this time, Daddy?" Flower asked, pointing to one of the skillets. 

"Yeah, but be careful, a'ight? Do it how I showed you." 

Erik picked up a bowl of blueberries. Flower perused them a bit, seeming to try and find the best orb before settling on one that was extra plump. She looked as if she was about to gingerly place it into the cooking circle of pancake mix in the skillet, but right before she did under Erik's watchful eye, she quickly switched her aim and plopped the berry into her mouth. 

"Hey!" Erik exclaimed laughingly and it brought about Flower's joyous giggles. "That's for the pancakes!" 

"Nuh-uh! They're for me!" the small girl proclaimed and allowed contentedly for Erik's fingers to tickle her sides. 

Ravyn watched from her place at the entrance of the kitchen the love the two shared for each other. It had been like that from the moment Flower was born. 

 

Ravyn remembered every moment of her birth. After finding out that they were going to have a baby, Erik was adamant that the child be born in his family's homeland, Wakanda. 

"You know hospitals 'round here don't give a fuck about Black women's safety. You gettin' the best care possible; fuck all'at other noise." Erik was referring to all the clinics' brochures that Ravyn had brought from the hospital. He could not attend the first ultrasound because he was out on a mission, one he could not let her in on. That used to bother her, him being so secretive, but after three years of being together, one in which they were married, Ravyn learned she was better off without knowing every detail of Erik's work. Her being in the dark sometimes provided her both safety and a peace of mind. She was not big on travelling, having a fear of airplanes (or the contraption Erik traveled in when he wanted to get somewhere), but she permitted Erik's way, having no other way to defend her position in having the birth in America. She knew what he said was the truth. 

She could not even get American check-ups. Once a month, he would fly her all the way over to Wakanda to be inspected by their doctors, and when she was a couple weeks from her due date, her had her over there permanently until the baby arrived. They would be staying there for a month afterward, too. 

"She gotta get acclimated to her roots, Rave," Erik explained when she wondered why they could not go back home after the birth. "She gotta know where she comes from. Me and you ain't get to have that growin' up." 

Just as he promised, he and Ravyn were back in the incredible country two weeks before she was due. Only a week in, after having been demanded by Erik that she be waited on hand and foot by the staff in the royal palace, she went into labor. Ravyn had been milling about the room, working on some formulas for her job when she suddenly felt something inside her drop and her legs and floor becoming wet. She screamed for help, and the staff were there to assist her in seconds. 

In her agony, Ravyn could not remember what they called doulas in Wakanda, but the head one, named Busara, had her in a tub, full of water and a type of oil that smelled heavenly. "It will help with the pain and ease the delivery," she told Ravyn when she asked what she was putting into the water. Busara hummed as she readied everything for the birth, unusually calm for everything that was happening. 

"W-why are you moving so slow? You - ah! - you know I'm about to give birth, right?" Raven inquired. From all the T.V. shows and movies she had seen depicting birth, she was a bit unnerved by how quiet everything around her seemed to be. 

Busara chuckled a bit as she gathered towels. "Ah, panic and anxiousness is not the Wakandan way. You are perfectly safe here, no need to worry. No need for bustling about." She dipped her arm into the water, feeling Ravyn. "You are about six centimeters, in active labor. You've got about four more, and your blessed one will be here." 

"Wait, wait! I can't have her yet! Where's my husband? Where's Erik?!"

"I was told he is on his way. He had to be retrieved from a meeting." Ravyn was uncertain on how she had forgotten that he told her that that morning. Though T'Challa knew her pregnancy was on its final legs, he absolutely needed his cousin to attend one of the meetings regarding the dangers of international trade. 

"Nigga couldn't ask nobody else apparently," Erik had moaned that morning as he stuffed a foot into a boot. "I ain't gonna be there all day. If you need anything, call me and I walk right the fuck out that meeting and come to you, a'ight? Don't try no polite shit, not wantin' to interrupt. This is our baby and I need to be here for anything that happens to her." 

Ravyn had promised she would call him if anything happened, but the labor pains had come about immediately, and all she could strain to do was call for help, not reach for her cell phone or a Kimoyo bead to get him back to the palace. 

Queen Mother and Shuri arrived before he did, appearing both worried and ecstatic of everything that was happening. Under regular circumstances, Ravyn would be a bit shy being practically naked, only covered by the water, in front of so many people, but in the moment, she could not care less. She actually welcomed their conversation to distract her from the pain of her stretching to accommodate her baby. 

"You are doing so well, _uhlobo_ ," Queen Mother assured, settling beside Busara. "N'Jadaka will be here soon." 

"Have you decided on any names yet? "Shuri" would make a fitting middle name," the teenage scientist winked at Ravyn, and despite her pain, she had to laugh at the teasing.

"No, not yet." Ravyn winced before continuing. "We wanted to wait till after she was born." 

Shuri pulled up a chair beside the tub. Her face contorted as if she was experiencing the same discomfort. "How badly does it hurt?" 

Ravyn smiled in spite of herself. "Like a  _bitch_." 

"Baby!" Erik burst into the room, instructing the staff that had escorted him there to stay out of the room. "You good? You a'ight?"

Ravyn could only nod, a bit too exhausted from the pain to speak too much. 

The hours wore on, staff members coming and going to assist Busara before leaving the family to privacy. Ravyn clutched Erik's hand as he settled next to her on his knees, not moving an inch as he watched her move and shift in pain. He had already asked three times if she could push yet, but the Busara ensured she would let them know when it was time.

It had gotten quiet around the fourth hour, the contractions having slowed. Ravyn wanted to sleep, just for a little bit, but she was jolted back to alertness when she felt a pressure so fierce she screamed. Busara reached into the water again and looked at them both. "It is time." 

Whatever Ravyn thought she knew about birth went out the window as she stretched and moved and crunched in pain as their pushed. Her grip on Erik's hand was probably deathly, but he did not flinch in the slightest, only making sure he was supporting her need and whispering into her ear that she was almost there. Queen Mother looked on with motherly expectancy while Shuri appeared disgusted. 

"I don't know if I want children," she muttered and her mother hushed her. Ravyn would have laughed had she not been preoccupied. 

"One more push, Ravyn. Give me one more." 

She was exhausted, feeling she had not the energy to even open her eyes, but she pushed with all her might, and the sudden feel of release had her throwing her head back. 

Their daughter entered the world excitably, her garbled cries a testament that she had been just as ready to emerge from her mother as her mother was ready to release her. Busara had lifted her from the water, inspecting her briefly before claiming that she was readily a healthy baby before moving to lie her on Ravyn's chest. 

Ravyn cried at the sight of her. She and Erik had really done that, created something so beautiful. Queen Mother and Shuri extended their congratulations before letting the small family have their moment of private bonding. 

Erik ran a gentle hand over the baby's head. Ravyn turned her head towards him, taking in how he took in the infant, as if she were the only thing in the world. The baby's eyes were on him, too, seeming to be watching her father intently. Ravyn wondered what was going on in that little mind of hers, if she saw the same eminence that she had when she first met him at MIT. A glassiness filmed over his eyes, and he let an unabashed tear roll down his cheek. The sight of that, of Erik's vulnerability, cracked Ravyn's heart in the best way possible. She leaned over and pressed her lips against his cheek, soothing him. 

"Ekua," he whispered. 

Ravyn had not known what he meant initially, thinking he was saying a word of praise in Xhosa, but then he said, "that's her name." 

Loving the way it sounded, Ravyn was sold, but she asked, "What's it mean?" 

Erik was quiet, his eyes canvassing over Ekua as she began to suckle at Ravyn's breast. He finally broke the gaze from off the child and to his wife. "Convertin' pain to happiness."

He did not have to explain what he meant by that. Many of his sleepless nights in their first apartment where she had to massage his shoulders to relax him or hold his head against her chest as he wept into her shirt showed that his past still caused him to ache in ways he was still working on. To know that the birth of their daughter was enough for him to let go of a lot of that hurt made Ravyn warm all over. 

Her middle name, Achebe, had come later, when Busara had advised them that they needed to pray over her daily. That was something they had been doing ever since they found out Ravyn was pregnant, but Ravyn questioned why Busara felt the need to say it. 

The woman did not look fearful, which was good, but she told them with a chilling seriousness, "this child was brought forth specifically by Bast. She will do work for the Goddess when she is of age. Pray that she does not stray from that work, and her life will be bountiful." 

"What kinda work?" Erik persisted. He did not fear Bast, knowing that no harm of their child would come through Her, but he was still a bit wary. 

Busara smiled warmly. "Nothing that should concern you. She will work for the people, bringing rights to the wrongs. Bast will use her in a way that not only brings goodness to others, but to herself. She will be exalted in her presence. If course, she has her will of going about life in the way she pleases, but she was born with a heart that will service the land. She is a special one for sure. Bast has wrapped her entire being around this child." 

 _Achebe_  meant "one who is protected by the Goddess," and both Erik and Ravyn found it to be fitting. 

Erik and Flower clicked in a way Ravyn had not seen up close before. It was as if Bast or God had worked in a way that they were to find each other one day, and move through the course of life being a structure to one another. Flower preferred her father's chest to sleep on over her mother's, only finding the latter suitable when she was hungry. Erik could always calm her best, and he could bring about her smiles with an ease Ravyn could only teasingly envy. Flower liked it best when he fed her, played with her, and taught her how to walk. He could get her to eat "icky" vegetables and he was the first one she would go to if she got hurt playing outside. Even though Ravyn had her special time with the little one to bond, she did not mind watching Erik be a father. As hard and aggressive as he could be, being so soft and patient with their daughter was heartwarming. It made her want even more children with him. 

 

Ravyn pushed herself off the threshold and walked toward them, crying, "Good morning!" to make her presence known. She was sure Erik had already known she was there; his being able to apprehend the slightest of movements still took some getting used to. But Ekua had not noticed she was there, and her eyes brightened at the sight of her. 

"Mommy! Me and Daddy are making pancakes for you!" Ekua announced as Ravyn came to a stop beside them. 

"For me? Oh, that's so sweet, baby. Thank you!" She kissed the child's dimpled cheek and ran a hand over one of the puffballs in her hair. From how messy it looked, Ravyn assumed her scarf had fallen off while she was sleeping. She knew the girl would throw a fit after learning it would be "hair day" in the following hours. 

"Yeah, we wanted to do somethin' nice for you. Just 'cause. Right, Flower?" Erik bounced the child in his arm. 

"Right!" 

Ravyn wrapped an arm around his waist and pressed a kiss against his cheek. She took advantage of Ekua's attention being taken off them as she tried to swipe another blueberry from the bowl, and leaned into Erik's ear to whisper what else he could do "just 'cause" for her. She let her tongue circle his earlobe before she sucked on it, stealthily moving away with a knowing look before their daughter could catch the lustful act.

They decided to eat breakfast out on the balcony. Ravyn always wanted a nice patio, and she was sure when they moved to a house she would get one of her own, but the makeshift one she created, complete with a glass roundtable and vase full of red African lilies, overlooking the town of Kensignton, New York, was good enough. 

"But I wanna do it!" Ekua pouted when Erik quickly swiped the butter knife away from her. Ekua, so assured just like her father, was certain she could cut her pancakes like a big kid. 

"Uh-uh. Not yet, baby girl. I ain't teach you how to knife fight yet. When you can do that is when I'll let you cut your own pancakes."

Ravyn shot him a disapproving look and he laughed, loving to get that reaction out of her. He would never willingly put their child in danger, but he made it clear to Ravyn that their daughter would know how to defend herself. "She gettin' defense classes as soon as she turns five, Rave. She gon' be a fighter, just like her dad." 

"That's all fine and good, but stop bringing up how much blood there was when you got stabbed by a sword." 

"She likes those stories!"

"She's _three_ , Erik. And impressionable. All she needs is to get her hand on something sharp and she'll try to practice all the things you tell her!" 

Erik had begrudgingly agreed to keep the goriness he had encountered in his life to a minimum around Ekua, but it was still fun watching his wife become annoyed when he would hint at it. 

After they ate breakfast and Erik convinced Ekua to settle down after a game of "Horsies and Cowboys" so that Ravyn could do her hair, she was put to bed for her afternoon nap, leaving Erik free to fulfill what Ravyn had hinted toward earlier that morning. 

 

"Uhn!" Ravyn grabbed onto the headboard as Erik gripped her hips from behind. He grunted as he pounded into her, doing his best to keep quiet so not to awaken the child down the hall, but failing. He could not help how loud he could get when he was buried deeply inside his wife, watching how her body moved to accommodate him, how her sweat glossed her skin and the sounds she made when he core gripped him for dear life. 

He reached forward and grabbed her hair, its texture fluffy and soft and ready to be handled like her body. He pulled her toward him so that he could whisper in her ear. 

"You wanna ride this dick?"

Ravyn nodded, a hot tear rolling down her face. He took his hand out of her hair and wrapped it around her throat. He used his free appendage to reach down and rub her clit, that motion mixed with him pulsing inside of her making her want to cum right then and there. "Open your mouth and say it," he demanded. 

"Fuck!" He could tell she was doing her best to keep quiet, her breathing sounded shattered and her voice high-pitched. "Lemme ride you, baby." 

Erik pulled out of her for a moment to lie down on the bed. Situated, she put her thighs on either side of him, grabbing her length into her hand, and guided him back into her. She moaned loudly, leaning back as her hands gripped his legs. Her hips ground slowly against him, much too slowly for his liking. He knew how much she could be a tease in bed, but considering they had a three-year-old who could wake up at any time and come rushing to their door, they had to get their release quickly. 

"Faster, baby . . . yeah, just like that." He grabbed her hips and helped her move. He cursed, watching her breasts bounce. He licked his lips and leaned up, taking one of the dark nipples into his mouth and listened to the way her wetness sounded every time she lifted and settled on him. 

"Mmm, baby, _yes_ ," Ravyn breathed, clutching the back of his head as he switched breasts, making sure to leave hickies on his travel from one to the other. 

He wanted to taste more of her, and she seemed to want the same thing, grabbing his face into her hands and crushing her lips to his. He liked when she was riled up during sex - her kisses became dominant, twirling her tongue around his and commanding that his lips follow her lead. She kissed down to his neck, allowing him to whisper into her ear, "You gon' cum for me?"

"Yes," she whimpered into his skin, biting at it lightly.

"Do it then. What'chu waitin' on? I ain't stoppin' you." 

Erik thrust up into her, evoking her yelp he knew could be loud enough to wake their daughter. He did it again, hoping the child was in one of her deep sleeps, and he kept doing it until he felt himself become warm with her essence and she collapsed against him, trembling. 

She let him finish inside her even though she had mentioned in the past that she was too sensitive to take much more after she orgasmed. He pumped slowly, allowing the rest of his seed to spill into her and then pulled out before she could tell him to. He lied back down on the bed, her body following suit.

She fell beside him, her chest heaving. "Damn, babe," she panted. "Ain't had it like that in a minute." 

After his missions, all he wanted to do was spend time with their daughter during the day and then be buried deeply in his wife at night, but sometimes, the exhaustion thwarted the latter, and all he could do was sleep. Ravyn was patient, only wanting him to please her when he was in the right mind to do so, so when he was ready, he gave it his all. 

"You might've just put another baby in me," she giggled teasingly as she draped an arm across his calloused waist. 

"Shit, probably did," he laughed, too. The idea of another child was something they had not discussed in length about, but if they had just created another life, Erik was fine with that. The thought of having another daughter or son that looked just like Ekua, who had taken most of the deep brown tone from her mother with a touch of his chestnut skin, with bright, dark eyes and a dimpled smile . . . yeah. That was something he could definitely look forward to seeing. 

"Do you want another baby?" he asked her carefully. 

Ravyn trailed a finger across his chest, quiet at first but finally settling with an answer after a moment. "Yeah . . . I do."

"It's gon' be a lot a work; especially if they as fiery as Flower." 

Ravyn snorted, "That's true, but I take on the both of you like a champ. Another kid wouldn't do that much harm, I don't think."

The corner of Erik's lips lifted. He knew that he and his daughter could be handfuls, but Ravyn was right; she took on the task of being a wife and mother like it was the easiest thing in the world. He learned how to be a greater man from her actions alone. Of course, he would carry half the responsibility of being a good parent to another child just as he had with their first, but it was a relief knowing that Ravyn was willing to take on that journey with nothing but love and bravery. 

Just as they were reaching the need of a quick nap of their own, their hands lightly petting each other as a physical lullaby, knocking sounded on their bedroom door. 

"Mommy! Daddy! I'm up now!" Ekua called through the wooden door. 

Ravyn lifted her head from Erik's chest, looked at him, and then they both laughed.

Having another baby would be an interruption times two, but they could handle it. 


End file.
